Keeping it Real, Catskill Culture

In a previous post titled Culture in the Catskills, I shared the Wikipedia entry for Sullivan County and  the scarcity when it comes to established cultural organizations on the entry. It seemed to be missing an entire sub-category about the artistic richness that has been developed in the small hamlets across this region. I added a couple of stand-out art museums so that a search would return results that display the creative exhibition in the area. This was my addition:

Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, founded in 1976, serves as Arts Council for Sullivan County, New York. They present programs in the visual, performing, literary, and media arts and service a county-and valley-wide constituency of artists, arts groups and the general public. The staff advocates for advancement of the arts on the local, state, national, international level. As a catalyst for events not generally available, DVAA sponsors an outstanding variety of arts and cultural programs in its facilities, the Delaware Arts Center, on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Tusten Theatre, a fully-renovated 160-seat facility.
Liberty Museum and Arts Center, the Building, built in 1894 as the modern Poellman Hotel, had seen periods of occupation by plumbing and heating retailers, a furniture store and last by Katz Bakery, a famous local institution. Long abandoned, the building was nearly irreparable with a collapsed roof and leaks everywhere. Into this dire challenge came this group of community minded citizens lead by Robert Dadras, Gene Barbanti and Ron Gozza. They organized volunteers to remove tons of debris, repair the roof and begin renovation. With a few grants as seed money and construction help from a Sullivan County BOCES building class, a miracle was underway. With dedication and much hard work a major portion of the building was completed. On Friday, June 25th, 1997 a Grand Opening ribbon cutting was celebrated at 46 South Main Street, which was temporarily closed for the occasion.

Since then it seems my inclusion has been removed. I was not surprised yet I was still disappointed. My hope was to find that these non-profit organizations would be seen as critical components. The good news is that there are other channels that highlight the cultural offerings in and around this lovely area.